Peace dove perched on your tree
Craft a handmade white dove tree topper that carries a hint of hope
Felt, fiberfill, and sequins become a beautiful tree topper: a white dove that spreads its wings over the holidays. Hand-embroidered words or tiny beads make the bird uniquely yours.
Peace dove tree topper—supplies:
- four white sheets of sturdy craft felt (size A4 or an equivalent amount cut from yardage)
- a couple of handfuls of fiberfill
- two A4-size sheets of paper for templates
- a pencil and an eraser
- scissors
- a sewing machine and white sewing thread
- a small skein of gold embroidery thread
- an embroidery needle sized for your thread
- a few gold sequins or beads
- a small piece of green craft felt
- about 1 m of thin gold-colored wire (3.3 ft)
- a few red beads
- a tree-topper holder, or about 1.5 m of strong gold wire and pliers (5 ft)
Peace dove tree topper—instructions:
- Start by drawing templates for your dove. The idea is to design a dove you love. Draw the body template on one A4 sheet and the wing template on another A4 sheet, then cut them out.
- Using the templates, cut two body pieces and four wing pieces from felt. With wrong sides together, zigzag-stitch the body pieces into one body and the wing pieces into two wings. Leave openings for stuffing; fill and hand-sew the openings closed.
- Topstitch long, featherlike lines on the wings and tail with a straight stitch.
- Embellish the pieces with hand embroidery, sequins, or beads, then hand-stitch the wings to the body with embroidery thread.
- Cut a few leaves from the green felt, thread them onto thin wire along with the red beads, and twist into a branch. Shape the strong wire into a holder for the topper, or use a ready-made holder, and carefully slip it through the zigzag seam into the dove at the spot you prefer. If needed, secure the holder with a few hand stitches.
Tip: Adjust the angle of the holder to change the dove’s pose.
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